A Comprehensive Analysis of Cheryl Strayed's Work "Wild"
In Wild by Cheryl Strayed, she presents readers with vivid coverage to her wild and tough past. She tells her journey from the beginning to what the turning point in her, her mother’s death.
As 22 year old Cheryl Strayed goes through a roller coaster of events, she makes numerous poor choices that convinces her that she lost is all. Strayed lost her mother, her family and her marriage. Strayed elaborates on the past with mere honesty. Cheryl Strayed made mistakes as any human does and suffers the horrible consequences, as we all do as humans. Humans are only human and handle situations differently, however learning from those mistakes is the true learning. Through the vast area of land and mountain range with death looking into the eye of the beholder and opportunity to the seeker, Strayed comes to terms with her past and finds courage and strength through the dynamic events in her life. Strayed took the positive and the negative and made a wild decision to hike the PCT to find peace, move forward and survive. For Cheryl Strayed to overcome her wild past is an understatement. “I’m a free spirit who never had the balls to be free,” clearly states how Strayed viewed her journey as a female.
Strayed uses powerful words such as “I’ll be ok. It’s just another bit further.” to explain the transition she goes through to grow emotionally, physically and mentally. As a female we all encounter men in our lives that make us uneasy. How we choice to deal with this is something Strayed learned as she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed and her mother were victims of circumstance. Her mother married an abusive man during the important part of Cheryl’s up brining. Strayed watched as many Americans do, see the physical, emotional and verbal abuse that comes with the strong hands of a man’s beating. As a female we are born with a protecting nature, to become a role model, to teach and instill morals and values in our young.
Strayed did not see a functioning marriage, two loving adults and a role of a father to show how men are to treat their wives. Instead she was shown the male dominance, oppression and skewed role of a male figure in the home. Even though her step father was relatively good to her and her family, once her mother passed he went on to another wife like nothing happened. Cheryl chose to see herself as many women do today, as an object, a sexual prize and inferior to men, she says “I get to do this. I get to waste my life. I get to be junk.” Yet in the trail she remembers what Pat told her, “To heal the wound your father made, you’re going to have to get on that horse and ride into battle like a warrior.” She got on her horse and continued on the Pacific Crest Trail. When pressure mounts and stress is unbearable there is only time before utter chaos erupts. Cheryl’s life was a constant downward spiral one loss after another, one disappointment and unplanned events leads to negative outlets such as heroin, alcohol and sex to escape the negative feelings she encounters. Strayed states and overcomes that she has a heroin and alcohol problem, but she continually comes back to the sex. Joe is a good example of one, she has a husband that’s there for her yet she goes out of her way and sleeps with Joe and does heroin. Then on the trail she stayed with six men, she didn’t think of sex or her looks, she thought of herself as one of the guys. “The idea of having sex seemed obscured to me now”.
Realizing the uselessness of condoms and extra materials in her pack, Albert helps her recognize that you have to let things go to make life easier to move forward. A well thought out trip by a novice hiker would not include something so unusable. Being absolutely alone on the PCT in the middle of the wild wilderness required Cheryl to face her fears and emotions. This is where Cheryl like many lost souls find the insight into growing. “I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed.” Cheryl learned that fear was not always something to be shunned. Fear can hurt you if it weighs you down. Cheryl found on her journey that fear is unavoidable, through the encounter of the bull, snakes, and being lost with no water. Cheryl learned that she doesn’t have to be scared because her mother is around her in the plants and animals, such as the fox. Cheryl’s relationships with her mother, ex-husband, and siblings shows she had once loved and was shown love. Through all relationships there is pain, however, Strayed never lost sight of the love. When faced with loneliness, fear, pain and the desire to stop, she thought of her loved ones. This realization and growth brought strength to Cheryl on the darkest hours of her journey.
The meaning Wild can be used in many different ways determining how you use it. But in Wild by Cheryl strayed the meaning is to find purpose, and to have fought through the pain and struggles to be something better. From making wild choices to hike the PCT, doing heroin, and have meaningless sex with men. The wild has really changed the wellbeing of herself. The wild has forced her to make choices to better herself in life and death situations. She has learned that you have to let go of your wild past to become someone new, to become Strayed.
